Chapter 5: Jacques

As Jacques took Aeliana to the place where he resided, she thought to herself, This is quite a fancy living arrangement, especially for the outskirts of the Ethereal Realm. Observing the beauty of the place in awe and wonder, Aeliana believed that it appeared to be cozy and comfortable, yet ornate and fashionable.

Will I ever be able to find a companion of my own? Aeliana also wondered silently to herself. She often felt out of place in the world, given the uniqueness of her nature, and the “lost privileges” that she had had to face as a result of being such an outcast in the land of the Ethereal Realm — of having the gifts of clairvoyance and clairaudience, which were both strictly forbidden.

“Care for food or beverage?” Jacques inquired of Aeliana once she collected her bearings.

“I suppose I’ll have a glass of raspberry iced tea,” she politely accepted an offer of a beverage, but declined on having anything to eat.

“So tell me a bit about yourself,” Jacques inquired of Aeliana.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated to explain. I have had several complications with my spiritual gifts, in terms of being ‘too psychic.’ Because of this… You know, because the Ethereal Realm is so ‘pure’ and perfect, just like its name implies… I’ve been made an outcast due to the strict laws of the realm. It’s quite an unfortunate circumstance. But I have been so blessed to already know you and become acquainted with your presence. Such a true delight to my soul.”

Jacques, shaking his head in seeming disbelief, placed his hand on Aeliana’s left shoulder as if experiencing true and deep compassion for her.

Aeliana then continued on, exposing some of her deepest and most troublesome secrets to him. “I thought I loved a man who gave himself to me so long ago. But it turns out that he was only human, not a god, and in a way, I felt like either I was taking advantage of him or he was taking advantage of me. Maybe both. But in the end, I decided he wasn’t worth it. Not worth the time or the energy. A complete waste of space. I cannot get along with humans, anyway.”

But then, Aeliana hesitated, as she thought to herself, Is he even listening to me?

She wanted to believe, in her heart of hearts, that Jacques was trustworthy and true. Maybe I shouldn’t judge or question him anymore. He’s already made me feel comfortable enough, she continued to think to herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aeliana noticed Jacques unleashing some sort of special mechanism. She wondered what it could possibly be….

But Jacques had all too many secrets of his own.

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“You know, I feel quite inspired by your bravery and strength,” Jacques turned to Aeliana, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace.

“I’m so beyond grateful that you feel this way….” Aeliana sank a bit more deeply into the embrace, allowing Jacques to massage the back of her arms.

“Would you care for something else to drink?” Jacques asked, but before Aeliana could even answer, he walked over to a nearby closet cabinet to reveal that this is where he had stored some bottles of liquor. He carefully opened each of the nine drinks that he had stored there.

“Cheers!” Jacques raised his glass to celebrate Aeliana.

“Cheers,” Aeliana muttered under her breath. For although she had been thoroughly enjoying her time and stay here with Jacques, she also couldn’t help but question him…

Out of the shadows then emerged a wolverine faery lurking.

“What are you doing here?” Aeliana snapped, both startled and dismayed.

“Relax. It’s just Faye,” Levant gently placed his hands on her right shoulder, this time touching it just enough to make her feel right at home.

“But where did this… he… she... come from?”

“I’ve been keeping her as a roommate for months. I found her roaming around on the streets. She had nowhere else to stay, so I felt pretty terrible about that. We’ve been living together ever since and haven’t gotten along more swimmingly, I’d say.”

Aeliana instantly felt the pangs of jealousy and confusion wash through her entire being. I’m not sure why… But it bothers me so greatly.

“I’m Faye. It’s very nice to meet you,”” Faye nodded her head in assent toward Maelyn.

Well, she seems welcoming enough… But something still isn’t quite right.

Faye then proceeded to hop over and seat herself in Jacques’ lap.

“In case you were wondering, my name means ‘belief,’'” Faye continued on.

Visibly startled by the behavior, Aeliana simply met Faye’s gaze in return.

But Jacques continued on as if nothing had happened, sipping on his liquor with much laughter and excitement. Aeliana could tell that his spirits were truly beginning to rise…

“So how did you end up here in the Ethereal Realm?” Aeliana curiously asked Faye, deciding to play the “nice” card and strike up a conversation with her.

“Oh, well, you know… It doesn’t take much to find oneself here. All I had to do was basically wander around the four corners of the earth, and there I was…”

Somehow dissatisfied with the rather cryptic nature of Faye’s answer, Aeliana’s gaze wandered around the room once more. She was looking for further clues that might indicate at least a little more information regarding Jacques’ true motives for bringing her here.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere… Out of the corner of her eye, Aeliana caught a vision of some Gamma wolves that ravenously make their way over toward her.

An alarm sounding in the corner of the room, Aeliana panicked as she attempted to process the situation. I will not give in to terror or fear. This is not an attack; it is simply a manifestation of the pain that I feel from deep within.

But before long, she could no longer hold it in.

So she found herself giving in to instinct before long. The Sun Goddess had been bred to rid her Ethereal Kingdom of all foreign types of Gamma wolves, who had long been at war with Alpha wolves.

Aeliana opened her mouth, snarling at the Gamma who currently faced her. I must resist…

And yet, she couldn’t. With all that she was… somehow, she found herself unable to resist the temptation to fight back, to vengefully serve as an opposing force in this endless battle against the very enemy of her soul.

“Aeliana” Faye stepped in, somehow managing to mollify Aeliana as the wolf before her sank its teeth into her skin…

Somehow, she just was not as strong as she once remembered. It had been so long since she had fought agains this species of wolf, that she now found herself powerless against them.

“Aeliana, it’s going to be fine. You just have to trust me…”

Aeliana felt quite dizzy and nauseous… The wolf bite was already impacting her more so than she could have thought or imagined.

I wish… I was a strong wolf race. I wish I could somehow overpower the Gamma wolves, but their entire species has preyed on us for so long…

“Aeliana, wake up. Wake up!”

Faye stood above her, violently shaking her. It was already such a long evening… When would daylight at last reach her?

“I have the keys here,” Faye then pointed to a paintbrush in her hand that she had attained from thin air. “If we just run… We can figure something out. This realm has grown dark, cold. We can’t stay here anymore. And with your life in danger already, we especially need to…”

The paintbrush in Blackwell’s hand suddenly manifested into something more. A portal to another realm- a whirlwind and tornado of sparkly, violet, bright light consumed them as they found themselves whirling away into “The Realm of Darkness,” a world that was composed of deep dreams and new horizons that they would surely encounter…